Benzocaine, a widely used local anesthetic, has some
usage limitations
due to its short duration of action, resulting in inconsistent clinical
outcomes. In this study, the formation of salts and cocrystals is
explored as a strategy to enhance the pharmacokinetic profile of benzocaine,
aiming for a higher dissolution rate and permeability in vitro as
well as to potentially increase its pharmacological effect and duration
of action in vivo. A new cocrystal and nine new salts with two different
categories of acids (carboxylic and sulfonic) were prepared and characterized:
BH oxalate, BH naphthalenesulfonate, BH camphorsulfonate, BH maleate,
BH mesylate, BH tartrate, BH benzenesulfonate, BH p-toluenesulfonate, BH esylate (BH: protonated benzocaine), and benzocaine–ligustrazine
(cocrystal). Dissolution rate and permeability were improved for all
newly synthesized forms. Indeed, every system was completely dissolved
within 1 h, while benzocaine was dissolved at 54%, and it was still
present in suspension after 4 h. Furthermore, permeability was increased
2-fold for benzocaine maleate and up to seven times for benzocaine
camphorsulfonate, highlighting the potential of salification and cocrystallization
to increase the in vivo performances of benzocaine.